Nicole Kidman Says She & Keith Urban Are Not a Role-Model Couple despite Their 15-Year Marriage

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have been married for 15 years, thanks to the fact that Urban eventually 'plucked up the courage' to get their relationship started. Still happily wed after all these years, Kidman shared her view on the perception of their relationship success.

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are superstars in their respective careers. On June 20, 1967, Nicole was born in Hawaii but grew up in Sydney, Australia. She has starred in several films, such as the award-winning "Moulin Rouge!" in 2001. She received her first Academy Award as best actress for her 2002 performance in "The Hours."

Keith Urban was born in New Zealand on October 26, 1967, and was raised in Australia. He is a Grammy-award-winning country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He headlined his first tour in 2004, and in 2006, he won his first Grammy award for best male country performance. He has since gone on to win 13 more Grammys throughout his career.

A CLASSIC LOVE STORY

The couple met at the 2005 G'Day USA gala. Nicole said that she had a crush on him when they met but thought Keith wasn't interested, mainly because he didn't call her for four months. But Keith claimed that it wasn't a lack of interest that led to him not calling her; it was a lack of confidence.

Keith added that he wasn't in a healthy place in his life at the time and didn't think that Nicole would be interested in a guy like him. But eventually, he called:

"At some point, I plucked up the courage to call those numbers and she answered, and we started talking and we talked and talked and talked and talked and it was effortless."

Once they started dating, their relationship progressed quickly to getting wed, and Urban couldn't have been happier, as he gushed, "Meeting her and getting married wasn't life-changing; it was life-beginning." They married in 2006 in Manly, Australia, in front of 230 guests. She wore a short-sleeved lace one-shoulder gown along with a dramatic veil.

PERFECT TOGETHER BUT NOT ROLE MODELS FOR OTHERS

Early into their marriage, the couple faced the challenge of Keith's alcohol addiction. He had been to rehab before in 1998 but was in the throes of the addiction again by 2006. Keith explained he didn't care about anyone else but her. He added that he was grateful that Nicole staged an intervention for him alongside his closest friends, and he went to rehab that night.

The couple survived that turbulent time and has since been perceived as a perfect couple by many adoring fans. But Nicole disagreed. She said, "We don't want to be a pin-up couple. We want to be a couple that has a great life together." She added that they are both very protective of their relationship and that people need to do what worked for them in their relationships.

The couple has a lot to juggle in their marriage. When asked how long they have gone without seeing one another, Keith said it was five days, but they remain connected by speaking on the phone and Skype several times a day.

The couple also works together to balance their schedules. Nicole said:

"We just work it out ourselves... We literally will sit - as most couples do - and go, 'Okay, here's the schedule. What are we going to do? Nup, too much.'"

CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF MARRIAGE

Keith and Nicole celebrated 15 years of marriage in 2021. Nicole marked the anniversary by posting a racy image of her and Keith on Instagram, "Happy Anniversary, Baby!" Four years earlier, Keith celebrated their anniversary by posting several cute couple selfies on Instagram with the caption, "Happy Anniversary, Babygirl. Eleven years and you still feel like my girlfriend!!! - KU"

The couple has previously been the subject of divorce rumors, which they have both ignored. Keith said:

“The people who really know us are most aghast by the whole thing and going, “How do you not want to defend that?” I’m like, It’s pointless. Our life will be our way of defending it."

Keith added that the best way to describe his relationship with Nicole is that he was born into her. He explained, "It means that I felt like I was sitting dormant, and she came along, and I came to life. I was born into her, so who I am now was waiting the whole time."

DOTING PARENTS OF TWO

The couple has two daughters, Sunday and Faith. Nicole has two older adopted children, Connor and Bella, with actor Tom Cruise. Keith said that having grown up with only one brother being a father to two girls had been a learning curve for him, but he loved every moment. He added that they strive to keep their family as normal as possible, avoiding tabloids and minimizing social media.

Nicole is just as in love with parenting as her husband, saying that her family is a source of comfort and nourishment. However, like many parents, she had to make sacrifices for her family. "Everything is motivated by wanting to take care of your children and carve a path for them and leave them with a sense of morality, dignity, and accountability," she said.

She added that she wanted to be a good mother and wife, which included the desire to move back to Australia, where she was raised. But due to Keith's career, they currently live between Tennessee and Los Angeles, USA. Nicole and Keith continue to work on their careers and raise their children together.